SGM-FX insights

For UK Business Readers   Here is a useful summary of what the UK Government is offering UK businesses:     For those of you who submit self assessment returns, before you ignore the item above, do look at the final box above which does help.   Markets   Too early to heave a sigh of […]

There goes the kitchen sink   Markets have been talking about the ‘double punch’ that unsettled the benign and plain financial paradigm that we existed in for many years. The full-on right hook came from the Coronavirus that manifested as a simultaneous shock to supply and demand. The left hook came like some kind of bizarre […]

Situation summary   Oil at the lowest level since 2001, stock markets off 30%, gold lower at $1476 than it was on January 1, interest rates cut in 50 countries to help, the US Dollar has appreciated by 10%. The secondary effects are as follows: travel restrictions in place in 100 countries, airlines have been […]

GBP   Having fallen to USD 1.14 last night, GBP has bounced off that level and against all currencies including EUR it is stronger this morning. It has been a very long week and it is not over yet(!). Just to remind you, GBP started the week on Sunday night in the Far East at […]

Down, down, down, down, down   The chorus lyric of Flo Rida’s hit song echo the title of this market briefing. Two confessions: 1) yes I had to google the song to check 2) yes I spelled his name wrong. It might be erroneous to assume that just because the hit song was recorded in […]

Laura Ashley   Sales having fallen by the relatively small margin of 10% is enough to have pushed the company into appointing Administrators. Sloane Rangers from yesteryear scarcely able to believe it are pinching themselves at this news given the vice like grip those designs had on Middle England for so many years. The virus […]

Deep and sharp   Alarm bells are still ringing. Households are on lockdown. Authorities are seemingly powerless to overcome the Coronavirus pandemic. Yesterday the Fed’s almost unprecedented 1% weekend cut in the target rate and a $700bn ramp up in quantitative easing failed to placate markets. If you’re not sure what that means it’s the […]

Unprecedented Action   Last night’s Federal Reserve action underlined the commitment of global monetary authorities’ to tackle the economic fallout from the virus. The Currency Market is opening steady from the move late on Friday night which no doubt lay behind the weekend decision. GBP a cent stronger versus USD but still sharply lower than […]

Aussie Rules   F1 fans expected this weekend’s opening race in Melbourne to be officially postponed despite F1 fiercely resisting it given the costs of staging each race and the tight timetable between races in different countries. It all requires detailed and flawless planning and execution to move the F1 circus every week during the […]

Bears   Last night’s price action was tumultuous. Asian and US trading sessions are normally characterised by widespread, sluggish price moves and limited volume. It’s unsurprising given that some 80% of foreign exchange sales and trading takes place in Europe and the lion’s share of that in London. However, when serious geopolitical or economic events […]

Exactly One Month to the end of the Tax Year   Those seeking to plan their personal and corporate affairs as they traditionally do each March are faced with more challenges than usual. Here in the UK, there is new government with a sufficiently large majority to push through more controversial positive and negative measures […]

How to cure Coronavirus   Taking lead from the US House of Representatives, Italy, China, and now the IMF, apparently the cure to Coronavirus is to print a ton of money. In fact, more; much more! Ten tons of $100 bills is worth approximately a billion dollars. That means the IMF’s pledge of $50bn for […]